I have a toyota corolla 2001 and have a problem with power supply to the clock and the audio deck. I plugged my cell phone charger into the cigarette lighter and my clock and audio deck stopped working. How do I fix this problem? I am a novice in car electronics. How much will it cost if I want it fixed by an auto shop. I appreciate any information I could get.
Bikeman982
This is the exact same problem as others have experienced. They have looked for a blown fuse as a possible cause of this problem. It is common for the fuse to blow out when there is an electrical problem. I suggest you do that before you take it anywhere that may charge you just for the time to locate a bad fuse. It really is not too hard to fix and if you are unsure, ask someone who is a friend that has some abilities in that area. Hope this helps.
Like mentioned above, I'm 99% sure you have a blown fuse.
The radio and acessiories are powered on the same electrical circucit. Meaning that if the radio requires 80 Watts of power, and the cell phone charger draws 40 watts of power, if you have a 10A fuse on a 12 Volt electrical system the maximum that fuse will allow is around 120Watts before it blows.
TO see if the fuse has blown, you'll need to fund the fuse panel it's located in. The radio fuse is normally in the panel inside the car, below the dashboard near the drivers leg left leg just infront of the door. It's probaby just above the hood release. On the back of the cover to the fuse panel (it slides off) there is a diagram of the fuses. Locatee the radio fuse and remove it. To do this you can use a pair of pliers, but it's better ot use a fuse puller. Inside the fuse panel in the engine campartment there is a fuse puller tool. It's a little white, yellow or green plastic tool.
The fuse has 2 metal prongs and a transparents plastic body. You can see insince the middle of the plastic body that there is a thin metal wire. IF the wire is continous and unbroken (it's normally curved or wavy) it's good. If in the middle the wire has melted and there is a gap, the fuse is blown. You can replace it with a fuse of the same size and current rating (usually the same color). Spares are located in the fuse panel in the engine compartment, or you can buy them at a hardware store. If it blows again, either the cell phone charger or the radio wiring may have a short, meaning that the wiring is damaged or its drawing too much power, so you need to stop using it in you car (unlikely cause).
Bikeman982
Definitely true Cherry...most likely a bad fuse. Locate the bad fuse and take it out and put in a good one. If it blows out again, probably a short somewhere or you are draining too much power when plugging in accessory.
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